A stone carver’s life

Our History

Italian immigrant makes life for his family

Martha Avella Alfano was a resident of North Carolina for 30 years alongside her husband, Big Jim. She suffered from health issues and heart trouble before her death in 1939.

Mount Airy Museum of Regional History

Pictured here is Martha Alfano and young Ugo Alfano in front of their home in Flat Rock. Ugo continued to live at the home after his parent's death.

Mount Airy Museum of Regional History

Big Jim and Ugo were photographed with one of the many stone sculptures at the Alfano home.

Mount Airy Museum of Regional History

As time pushes forward, our collective technology advances at an ever-growing speed. Each year, new phones, computers, apps, and more are released, deeming their predecessors obsolete. It is so hard to stay ahead of the technology curve, that many consumers have adopted the "if it's not broke don't change it" rule. These advancements have also discarded some technologies and training as unnecessary. Things like watchmakers, cobblers, seamstresses, milliners, and stone carvers are not as common as they once were.

In this short series on lost arts, we’ve analyzed several different essential figures in our collective histories. One integral part of Surry County's history is the North Carolina Granite Quarry. When quarry operations began in 1889 many talented individuals made their way to the foothills in search of secure work, one of those individuals was Big Jim.

Vincenzo "Big Jim" Alfano was an Italian immigrant born in Lazio, a region of Italy whose capital is Rome. He spent his youth in the small village of Lanzara with mountains and talented artisans. He began his unknown journey to Mount Airy, working as an apprentice to stone carvers in Lanzara, starting as early as 10 or 11 years old. During training, he worked on churches and cathedrals. At the age of 21 Vincenzo traveled to Egypt where he cut and dressed stone for two years, helping to construct/work on either the Assiut Barrage or Aswan Dams.

With experience and a little money in his pocket, the young carver boarded a ship to the Americas in 1907. The Ellis Island Foundation marks this year as the busiest for immigration to the states with 1.3 million people traveling to the USA in 1907. Determined to make a name for himself, Vincenzo landed in White Plains, New York working in monument shops.

On his return to Lanzara in 1908, he married his love Martha Avella of the same town. With few prospects in Italy, Vincenzo returned to the US, and Martha joined him two years later with their first child, Edward. The young couple finally settled in Philadelphia where the North Carolina Granite Quarry had an office. He was soon discovered for his talents by the quarry and was offered a job in Flat Rock, the world's largest open-faced granite quarry.

With Martha and Edward in tow, the Alfano family traveled south with many other immigrant families to what is now known as the Granite City. Quarry expansions had begun and more workers were required to meet the growing demand for Mount Airy's rock. The Thompson boarding house can still be seen on East Pine Street in front of the Quarry's main entrance, and many families stayed here until they could raise funds to buy or rent their own homes. The Alfanos first stayed as tenants on the Old Merritt Farm. Vincenzo continued to excel in his carvings and workmanship and saved enough money to purchase his own home right next to the quarry at 719 East Main Street for $665. The family welcomed a second son in 1919 named Ugo.

Sometime before 1920, Vincenzo, or "Big Jim," as he was now known, was blinded in one eye by rock chips. Despite being injured and without vision in one eye he continued to create astonishing works of art. During the depression, he was still making one dollar to everyone else's 10 to 15 cents an hour. He created his intricate carving with just a hammer, chisel, and a "bushhammer."

During his off time, he loved to listen to Opera either on the radio or from his extensive record collection, and he would host guests, feeding them Italian imported goods and wine from his own vineyard. The couple lived out the remainder of their days in Flat Rock, leaving their home to Ugo their youngest son. Some of the intricate carvings can still be seen at the home site, unfortunately, the building itself was lost to fire. Big Jim died on Dec. 4, 1947 just after welcoming his first grandchild into the world. His work can still be seen at the Mount Airy Post Office, Washington Monument, and Kitty Hawk. Martha and Vincenzo are both buried in Oakdale Cemetery under a granite carving created by their oldest son Edward.

Emily Morgan is the guest services manager at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. She and her family live in Westfield. She can be reached at [email protected] or by calling 336-786-4478 x229